Wen Zhengming, a native of Changzhou (长洲) in Jiangsu (江苏), excelled at poetry, painting, and calligraphy. In painting, he studied under Shen Zhou (沈周, 1427-1509) the two of them becoming influential leaders in painting during the middle and late Ming dynasty. This work from "Painting and Calligraphy on Fans by Ming Officials (明诸臣书画扇面)" was originally done a folding fan of paper sprinkled with gold. “Hemp-fiber” texture strokes render a stony slope, with a clump of serene orchids on top. The calligraphic lines were freely executed to depict the orchid leaves as they undulate naturally. The brush moved fluently yet with vigor, crisscrossing but not overlapping. Several stalks of bamboo were also added to the painting, making the composition dense but not overcrowded as both solid and void appears in harmony. The brushwork is both light and dark in places, adding to the variation and revealing a literati taste for pure untrammeledness and lofty elegance. Although undated, this work is similar to Wen Zhengming's "Orchids and Bamboo" hanging scroll painting from 1544, suggesting it was done sometime after his seventieth birthday. The two plants here are among the "Four Gentlemen (四君子)," the bamboo (竹) also one of the "Three Friends of Winter (岁寒三友)" and a homophone in Chinese for "blessing (祝)." Hence, it is used in the expression, "Bamboo announcing safe and sound (竹报平安)." source

Wen Zhengming (simplified Chinese: 文征明; 1470–1559) was a leading Ming Dynasty painter, calligrapher, and scholar. Born in present-day Suzhou, he claimed to be a descendant of the Song Dynasty prime minister and patriot Wen Tianxiang. Wen's family was originally from Hengyang, Hunan, where his family had established itself shortly after the 10th century. Not until the time of Wen's great-grandfather, Wen Hui, a military officer, did the family move to the Suzhou area. Wen often chose painting subjects of great simplicity, like a single tree or rock. His work often brings about a feeling of strength through isolation, which often reflected his discontent with official life. Many of his works also celebrate the contexts of elite social life for which they were created. He collaborated in the design of the Humble Administrator's Garden, generally considered one of China's four greatest gardens.

Ming dynasty Lu Zhi (1496-1576) Hanging scroll; ink and pale color on paper; 42 x 10 3/4 in. (106.7 x 27.3 cm) Inscribed by the artist (right) and by the Qianlong emperor (r. 1736-95; center), dated 1777 The first two lines of Lu's verse allude to "Peach Blossom Spring," a famous poem by his friend's namesake Tao Qian (365-427) in which a fisherman stumbles upon a hidden utopia. In the last two lines, Lu Zhi suggests that he has planned his own utopian retreat, and refers to the growing of chrysanthemums, a passion he shared with Tao Qian. Lu Zhi was the son of a Suzhou schoolteacher and a pupil of Wen Zhengming (1470-1559). After his father's death, Lu supported his family by selling his paintings. About 1557, Lu retired to the mountains west of Suzhou, where he led a reclusive life cultivating rare flowers, writing poetry, and painting. Awash in mist and soft colors, the crystalline mountains in Lu's painting evoke perfectly the dreamlike Peach Blossom Land of the immortals. Planting Chrysanthemums was presented by Lu Zhi to his friend Tao in exchange for some rare cuttings. To express his ideal of reclusion, Lu here combines poetry with painting. His poem reads: I hear you have opened up a "Dao path" near the ocean, Where clouds of leaves and frost-covered flowers vie in wondrous splendor. I too have built a new residence at Zhixing Mountain, May I share some of your autumn colors on my eastern hedge.